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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · suit · pass · toast · cell · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bat — the animal
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. swing — in golf
  8. suit — to fit
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. suit — in cards
  11. swing — music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in a prison

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com